xxiv, 359 pages ; 24 cm

The Anchor Bible offers new, book-by-book translations of the Old and New Testarnents and Apocrypha, with commentary. This volume on The Wisdom of Solomon as been prepared by David Winston, Professor of Hellenistic and Judaic Studies and Director of the Center for Judaic Studies at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. The Wisdom of Solomon is a long and subtly poetic work placed in the mouth of "wise" King Solomon. It blends biblical thought and Middle Platonism. David Winston thoroughly analyzes the book, presenting the philosophical situation clearly and putting forth evidence to suggest that the work was written later than is commonly supposed, during the reign of Caligula (A.D. 37-41), and by a single author. Because of its exclusion from the canon of scripture used by Jews and Protestant Christians, The Wisdom of Solomon has been neglected by biblical scholars in general. Dr. Winston's commentary is the first to thoroughly cover both previous research and recent developments such as the Qumran scrolls, papyrus discoveries in Egypt, and new knowledge of ancient Iranian religion. It is a major contribution to the study of the apocryphal literature of the Bible

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Includes bibliographical references (pages 70-96)

Includes indexes

Introduction -- Contents -- Structure -- Authorship: single or composite -- Language and style -- Genre -- Date -- Religious ideas -- Wisdom of Solomon and Philo of Alexandria -- Purpose -- Manuscripts and versions -- Status and influence -- Selected bibliography -- Translation and notes -- Part I: Wisdom's gift of immortality (1--6:21) -- Exhortation to justice which brings immortality (1:1-15) -- Speech of the wicked who have covenanted with death (1:16-2:24) -- Sufferings of the immortal just only a trial (3:1-12) -- Sterility of the virtuous will ultimately be converted to fruitfulness (3:13-4:6) -- Early death a token of God's solicitous care (4:7-20) -- Vindication of the just and final judgment (5:1-23) -- Exhortation to wisdom which is easily found and bring immortality and sovereignty (6:1-21) -- Part II: The nature and power of wisdom and Solomon's quest for her (6:22--10:21) -- The nature of wisdom and her mysteries will be revealed (6:22-25) -- Solomon is only a mortal (7:1-6) -- Solomon prefers wisdom above all else (7:7-14) -- God is sole source of all-encompassing wisdom (7:15-22a) -- Nature of wisdom: her twenty-one attributes (7:22b-24) -- Fivefold metaphor describing wisdom's essence and her unique efficacy (7:25-8:1) -- Solomon sought to make wisdom his bride (8:2-16) -- Wisdom a sheer gift of God's grace (8:17-21) -- Without wisdom no human enterprise can succeed (9:1-6) -- Without wisdom, Solomon could not reign (9:7-12) -- Divine wisdom brought men salvation (9:13-18) -- An ode to wisdom's saving power in history (19-20)-- From Adam to Moses (10:1-14) -- The exodus (10:15-21) -- Part III: Divine wisdom or justice in the exodus (11-19) -- First antithesis: Nile water changed to blood, but Israelites obtained water from the desert rock (11:1-14) -- Excursus I: Nature and purpose of divine mercy (22-24) -- God's mercy toward the Egyptians and its causes (his might and the source of his merciful love) (11:15-12:2) -- God's mercy toward the Canaanites and its causes (12:3-18) -- God's mercy a model lesson for Israel (12:19-22) -- Return to theme of measure for measure and transition to second Excursus (12:23-27) -- Excusus II: On idolatry (24-31) -- Mindless nature worship (13:1-9) -- Wretched wooden-image making (13:10-14:11) -- Origin and evil consequences of idolatry (14:12-31) -- Israel's immunity from idolatry (15:1-6) -- Malicious manufacture of clay figurines (15:1-6) -- Folly of Egyptian idolatry (15:14-19) -- Second antithesis: Egyptians hunger through animal plague, but Israel enjoys exotic quail food (16:1-4) -- Third antithesis: Egyptians slain by locusts and flies but Israel survives attack through the bronze serpent, symbol of salvation (16:5-14) -- Fourth antithesis: Equptians plagues by thunderstorms, but Israel fed by a rain of manna (16:15-29) -- Fifth antithesis: Egyptians terrified by darkness, but Israel illuminated with bright light and guided through desert by a pillar of fire (17:1-18:4) 00 Sixth antithesis: Egyptian firstborn destroyed, but Israel protected and glorified (18:5-25) -- Seventh antithesis: Egyptians drowned in the sea, but Israel passes safely through (19:1-9) -- Retrospective review of God's wonders through which nature was refashioned for Israel (19:10-12) -- Egypt more blameworthy than Sodom (19:13-17) -- Transposition of the elements (19:18-21) -- Concluding doxology (19:22)

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